New Mexico head coach Jason Eck had plenty to celebrate after his team took down North Dakota State 21-16 on Saturday. However, a moment during the Lobos’ fourth-quarter interception return caught attention for a different reason, with Eck appearing to take issue with one of his own players over a potentially costly on-field confrontation.
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“Jason Eck was mad his player got in the NDSU QB’s face on the interception and almost cost them a penalty,” fan account gmannVOLS wrote on X while sharing a clip of the incident.
The footage shows officials bringing the incident to Eck’s attention, prompting the New Mexico coach to approach defensive lineman Brett Karhu and address the situation about North Dakota State quarterback Nathan Hayes in an aggressive way, pointing fingers.
The broadcast announcer says, “During the INT return, Nathan Hayes went hands to the face with Brett Karhu.”
The X account posted another clip of the incident.
This game was another one where New Mexico’s defense made the difference. The Lobos had forced at least two turnovers in every game this season, and against the Bison they came up with one more big play.
New Mexico led 14-3 going into the second half. Early in the fourth quarter, senior safety Austin Brawley picked off Hayes and ran it back 56 yards for a touchdown. That made it 21-9.
But the score wasn’t the only thing people noticed on that play. When you’re protecting a lead in a close game, a silly penalty can cause real trouble. Eck looked frustrated, and it made sense. His defense had just made a huge play, and he didn’t want a mistake to take anything away from it.
The Lobos didn’t give the lead back. Hayes hit Mekhi Collins with a four-yard touchdown pass with 6:44 left, which cut it to five points. New Mexico held on and won 21-16.
The interception was part of a rough night for Hayes. He went 17-of-33 for 198 yards, with two touchdown passes and two interceptions. Hayes came into this season after years as a backup and played in 10 games in 2025 and threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns. He got a bigger role once Cole Payton left for the NFL.
Against New Mexico, he never found a steady rhythm in the passing game. His pick-six put the Lobos up by 12, so the Bison needed another comeback. Hayes did bounce back with a touchdown drive, ending with the throw to Collins to make it 21-16. But North Dakota State couldn’t finish the job.
The loss drops the Bison to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in conference play. New Mexico moves to 6-1 and has now won four straight since its only loss, to Oklahoma.
Montana State had a similar Coach-Player confrontation in 2025
The New Mexico moment reminds me of something that happened at Montana State in December 2025. Head coach Brent Vigen and running back Julius Davis had a heated exchange during the FCS playoffs.
The Bobcats had just beaten Yale 21-13 to move on to the next round. After the game, ESPN’s broadcast showed Davis with a Yale player while Vigen tried to guide him toward the locker room. Davis slapped Vigen’s hands off his shoulders. Teammate Takhari Carr stepped in to calm things down, but Davis pushed him away and kept going back and forth with Vigen.
Davis later apologized publicly. He said he was just greeting a former Wisconsin teammate, not taunting Yale players. He took responsibility and said he and Vigen had already talked it over.
The two situations aren’t the same, but both show how hard it is for coaches to handle players when emotions are running high.
For New Mexico, the interception and Eck’s reaction became one more talking point from the win over North Dakota State. The Lobos play at San Jose State next, on October 31.